• OldWoodFrame@lemm.ee
    0·
    11 months ago

    Technically the metric system is “the preferred system of weights and measures for United States trade and commerce” as per the Metric Conversion Act of 1975.

    You’re just also allowed to use lbs and feet and stuff and most people do.

    • Bye@lemmy.worldEnglish
      0·
      11 months ago

      And in the sciences and drug dealing and the military, we use metric exclusively.

      But for some idiotic reason, construction engineers often use imperial units and I have no idea why. Like buildings are built in pounds and feet and stuff, with half inch bolts and 2x4 (ish) lumber and half inch plywood. It’s idiotic.

      • randomwords@midwest.socialEnglish
        0·
        11 months ago

        I don’t generally defend imperial, but feet and inches are actually really useful in construction. Base 12 is easily divisible by 2, 4, and 3. You often need to divide architectural elements in thirds.

        • GrumbleGrim@discuss.tchncs.de
          0·
          11 months ago

          As a former structural engineer who lived on a Jobber 5 all day, that’s still pretty niche overall. Easier because it’s what your used to maybe, but outweighed by situations where it’s not. Try doing trig with fractions and then tell me imperial is better.

          • bloodfart@lemmy.ml
            0·
            11 months ago

            Trig is literally the math where you start dividing a circle in fractions and doing the math in base 360.

            What the hell are you talking about?

            • GrumbleGrim@discuss.tchncs.de
              0·
              11 months ago

              I’m talking about trig using feet and inches. You know, rise, run, slope… Have you ever used trig outside of school? I don’t understand what you’re confused about.